A fluency disorder is “an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm, and disfluencies (e.g., repetitions of sounds, syllables, words, and phrases; sound prolongations; and blocks), which may also be accompanied by excessive tension, speaking avoidance, struggle behaviors, and secondary mannerisms” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 1993, as cited in ASHA, n.d.).
Stuttering, the most common fluency disorder, is characterized by frequent disruptions in the forward flow of speech. Such “disruptions” can be repetitions of words or parts of words, prolongations of sounds, or complete stoppage of sounds. During a stuttered event, a child may become tense or struggle. Stuttering typically begins in early childhood (age 2 ½ to 4). Stuttering can have a marked impact on a child’s social, emotional, and educational development. If not identified early, stuttering often results in significant communication disabilities that can limit a person’s ability to fully participate in life and achieve his or her social or occupational goals.
Proper diagnosis of childhood stuttering can be quite challenging since many young children exhibit disruptions in their speech as they are learning to talk. Determination of a child’s risk for developing a chronic stuttering problem is best performed by a speech pathologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of stuttering.
Treatment
Treatment for fluency disorders “is highly individualized and based on a thorough assessment of speech fluency, language factors, emotional/attitudinal components, and life impact (Byrd & Donaher, 2018). The speech-language pathologist (SLP) uses linguistically and culturally appropriate stimuli and is sensitive to the unique values and preferences of each individual and their family to create a treatment plan” (Sisskin, 2018, as cited in American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.).
The UCA Speech Language Hearing Center offers many types of therapy for children and adults with fluency disorders.
Therapy Groups: Individual therapy sessions; Specialized Fluency Evaluations/Consultations; Summer Group Therapy
Additional Resources
National Stuttering Association
Reference
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Fluency Disorders. (Practice Portal). Retrieved November 15, 2021, from www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/fluency-disorders/